Oncidium comprises a genus of approximately 400 species from the tropical and subtropical Americas. Oncidium orchids are primarily epiphytic or lithophytic with a minor portion being terrestrial. All species exhibit sympodial growth and vary greatly in other morphology and size.
Oncidium breeding is typically done from sexual methods. Asexual propagation of Oncidiinae is often done in aseptic tissue culture from apical or axillary shoots.
The new cultivar was discovered by the Inventor within the progeny of a cross made by the Inventor on Sep. 3, 2001. The Inventor selected Oncidium Heaven
Scent ‘Sweet Baby’ as a single plant from a population of over 50 plants grown by James McCully in Hilo, Hawaii, a company owned by the Inventor. Oncidium Heaven Scent ‘Sweet Baby’ was submitted by the Inventor to a commercial tissue culture laboratory in Bangkok, Thailand on Jun. 7, 2005, for propagation through aseptic tissue culture technique. A quantity was produced for evaluation and has demonstrated that the unique combination of characteristics as herein disclosed for the new cultivar are firmly fixed and are retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction.
Other seedlings from the same cross that was used to produce Oncidium Heaven Scent ‘Sweet Baby’ have been commercially available from others. The characteristics of Oncidium Heaven Scent ‘Sweet Baby’ are clearly distinguishable from the characteristics of those other plants. Those other plants were sold by James McCully without specific epithet to individuals and other nurseries. To the Inventor's knowledge, the only other named clone of the cross is Oncidium Heaven Scent ‘Sweet Pea’ and is owned by the Inventor. Plants of the grex Oncidium Heaven Scent are sold as plants of the grex without specific epithet.